There’s a line instructors repeat all the time.
If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast.
What it actually means is simple:
Slow the fuck down and learn the movement first.
Most riders try to do the opposite.
They want the finished version immediately. Fast carving. Fast switch. Fast turns in steeps. They point it downhill and hope the speed sorts everything out.
It doesn’t.
All speed does is let you blag your way through it for a bit.
Do the slow reps
If you want to carve properly, slow it down and feel the edge engage.
If you want to ride switch, slow it down until you can link turns without flailing around.
If you want better turns in steeps, slow it down enough that you actually finish the turn instead of skidding out at the end.
None of that looks impressive.
That’s the point.
That’s where the skill actually gets built.
Once the movement works slowly, then you add speed.
Not the other way around!
You'll Hate This
Most riders hate slowing down.
It’s an ego basher. It feels clumsy. It feels like starting over. Your mates are flying past you while you’re doing careful turns on easy terrain. Even worse under the lift where onlookers would never guess you normally ski like a God. Feels uncomfortable right?
Good.
That’s where the work is.
Speed is fun. Speed is also the easiest way to avoid fixing something.
When’s the last time you dedicated an entire run to honing in switch riding, or meticulous ass to grass carving?
Do it today!
The park exception
As I was just explaining to a student today, very few rules in skiing or snowboarding are absolute. Which is confusing.
Park riding certainly bends the speed rule a bit.
Rails and jumps need enough speed to work. Come in too slowly and you’ll slide off the rail or you won’t carry enough speed to make it to the end. Lack of speed also makes balancing way harder. Same with jumps – you need to comfortably make it to the landing and have enough speed through the takeoff to spin.
That’s just physics.
But even there, the riders who progress fastest are the ones who actually control their board or skis before they start throwing speed at features.
Speed doesn’t replace fundamentals.
When tackling a new feature or trick, moderate speed is ideal.
What's My Point?
It’s not complicated.
Slow it down.
Learn the movement.
Master it.
Then go fast.
Experienced rider who wants to tighten up their carves?
Slow the f*ck down.
Intermediate snowboarder struggling with switch riding?
Slow the f*ck down.
Decent skier who notices their parallel turns are better one way than the other?
I think you get the point.
All I’m saying is that it’s very easy to get stuck in the intermediate-advanced rut. Most skiers and snowboarders will settle into the same technique for a decade. The only way to unpick this and actually improve is to take a step back. Dedicate some some sessions to slow, deliberate up-skilling.
If in doubt, slow the fuck down.
Remember:
If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast.
Hope that helps.
